Strong Paws
by midnightopheliac
Summary: Set 2 months after the end of Safe Paws, and with Nick's probation at the ZPD finally over, our favorite duo can't wait to delve straight into a case. However, as the clues start to unravel, Nick and Judy find themselves in the dark underbelly of society. Secrets will be uncovered, shadowy pasts will resurface, and old enemies will make themselves known.
1. New Beginning

**A/N How time flies...**

 **It's been seven months since I finished Safe Paws. A lot of good things have gone on in my personal life which is probably why it took so long, but I won't bore you with the details.**

 **I'm back now though and I bring you the sequel!**

 **I want to thank you for all the love, comments, kudos, etc. that you've all left on Safe Paws, and all the private messages about it I still get. I hope the sequel lives up to expectation. I'm not promising a posting schedule as I don't know from one day to the next what life will throw at me, but I'm going to try my hardest to update regularly, and my other half has moved in with me so I'm sure he'll kick my butt if I don't...**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

 **~ Ophelia x**

* * *

"Guess what today is?" Judy gleefully slammed down a case file on Nick's desk, violet eyes meeting the emerald ones she knew so well. She could barely contain her excitement and had to actively stop herself from bouncing on the spot.

Pulled away from the paperwork he'd been doing, Nick glanced up at his bunny, quirking an eyebrow. "Monday." He deadpanned, pen still poised above the paper he'd been reading. Once he'd started at the ZPD, he and Judy had been assigned their own little office. Little being the operative word. It was just big enough for their two desks, chairs, a filing cabinet, and a ridiculous plant Judy had insisted on having to 'brighten up the space.' Massive divider walls towered above them, separating their space from their much larger colleagues.

Judy let out a groan of frustration. Nick could be so dense. "Yes it's Monday, but it's not any old Monday." She jabbed a finger at the case file she'd slammed on his desk. "Guess whose two months of probation are finally up?"

Nick's heart skipped a beat. Could it really be true? "No more paperwork. No more lame cases. No more sitting back during all the action." He gasped before he grinned. "Oh Fluff, please tell me you have a kick-ass case for us?" He reached for the file she'd put down, but the doe had anticipated his move and quickly pulled the file from his reach. Probation had meant that Nick had been forced to work low-level cases. He'd still been allowed to walk the beat and arrest criminals, but the workload hadn't been challenging or exciting. There'd been a lot of paperwork though. He was grateful that Judy had agreed to stick with him and work the same cases, even though she could've joined the other officers and worked on far more interesting things.

"Sorry Slick, this is just more paperwork." Judy felt a flash of guilt for having built up Nick's hopes, but she was sure something good would come their way soon. She'd been counting down the days until they'd be able to work exciting and high profile cases again.

Deflating at the news, the tod hid his disappointment with a shrug. "Hey, can't expect to work an amazing case right off the bat." He offered Judy a smile, returning to the paperwork he'd been looking over, signing his name on the dotted line at the bottom when he was sure the information contained in it was truthful to the best of his knowledge.

Judy opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of knocking at the entrance gap to their space grabbed her attention. It also caused Nick to lift his head.

"Hopps. Wilde." Chief Bogo greeted them in his typical manner, one paw placed against the divider wall while the other held on to a case file. His glasses were perched on the end of his nose, and by the way his nostrils were flaring he was feeling a little stressed. "Just had a call in, we've got a one-eighty-seven in the Marshlands. Everyone here is tied up. Think you can handle it?"

A murder. Nick's first proper case would be murder. "Sure thing Chief." He tried to hide his smile, throwing his pen down on to the paperwork. Grabbing his firearm and badge he slid them on to his belt, snatching up his aviators.

"You sure, Chief?" Judy questioned as she grabbed her own firearm and badge, picking up the keys to their cruiser that she'd left on her desk. While she had no problem working a murder, having witnessed the carnage in The Cloven Hoof several months back, she wasn't sure how Nick would fare.

Lifting a hoof, Bogo rubbed at his eyes, pushing his glasses back up his nose when he was done. "We're thin on the ground, and the victim's species will be of interest to you. You're the best partnership for the job." He handed over the small file he was holding. It didn't contain much, just the information Clawhauser has been able to gather from the beat cops who'd called it in. The location of the victim and a description of their appearance was all they had to go on until Nick and Judy arrived at the scene.

Curious, Nick took the case file from Bogo as they passed him, both officers heading quickly in the direction of the parking lot. It was only once they were seated in the cruiser, blue lights flashing as Judy whizzed through the streets of the city, heading towards the Marshlands, that Nick opened the case file. Clawhauser had scribbled some notes and left some jam stains on the page from his doughnuts. Nick swallowed thickly as he read between the jam. "Victim is located at Fig Docks, and is a middle-aged male fox…" He sighed, understanding now why he and Judy were best for this case. The other officers had no clue as to how his species operated, and though they'd come to accept he and Judy into the force, they still had an underlying prejudice against his species that could cloud their judgment.

Judy sighed, paws tightening on the steering wheel as they entered the Marshlands. "Is there any other information?" She chose to ignore the elephant in the room. Statistically, a lot of the murder cases that came their way involved species that the general population thought of as shady or dangerous – bats, pigs, raccoons, weasels, and foxes. It came as no surprise to Judy that this case involved a fox, but she was concerned as to how that information would impact her partner.

Shaking his head, Nick closed the flimsy file. "Nothing else, no." He jammed the file into the glove box before sitting back in his seat. Judy took a sharp turn left, followed by another right, and the vehicle slowed as they approached the dock. There was a flurry of activity, and police tape marked off the area. CSI's were already present, along with the beat cops who'd been in the vicinity and had helped secure the scene.

As the vehicle came to a stop, Judy killed the engine. Both mammals exited the car, heading towards the police tape. Flashing their badges they were allowed past the tape, and their first point of interest was the body. The tod was sprawled on the dockside walk, the wood beneath him dyed from the red blood pooling around him. "What happened?" Judy pulled her notepad and pen from her belt, aiming her question at Charles, the red wolf medical examiner.

"Stab wound to the chest between the ribs punctured the left lung. At this stage, I would say COD is pneumothorax, but I'll be able to do a thorough examination and run some tests once we have him back at the morgue." The wolf explained, removing the thermometer he'd had in the deceased's liver. "Approximate TOD is 2am – 4am this morning." He concluded.

Furiously scribbling down the information, Judy added some notes about the victim's appearance. He was well-groomed and wearing expensive clothes. She ruled out that his death had been part of a mugging though, as the shiny Roarex watch around his wrist was still in place and ticking away.

Nick's notepad remained empty. The fox hadn't even bothered to take it from his pocket. Instead, his gaze was focused on the sprawled body. _"Take away the expensive clothes, and this could've been you a few years back, Wilde."_ The realization made his stomach roll, and the tod had to turn away. Leaving Judy to gather more information from the medical examiner, Nick strode across the dock towards one of the beat cops that had secured the scene. "Any witnesses?" Nick asked once he was in earshot of the rhino.

Turning to the tiny fox, the rhino looked down his snout at the small mammal. "None have come forward, which isn't a surprise. Even if someone saw something, they aren't likely to admit it in this part of the city." The rhino shrugged. He'd attended many similar crime scenes over the years, mostly involving unscrupulous animals, and very few of the cases had ever been solved. The rhino had a feeling this one would be no different.

"Nick!" Judy shouted from her position next to the body, gesturing for her partner to join her once she'd captured his attention. When he returned to her side, she handed him a clear evidence bag. "One of the CSI's found this in his wallet and thought it might be of interest to us, though all it has is a business name." She explained

Flipping the bag over, Nick took stock of the business card inside it. "Ruby Red's Relaxation Retreat." He read aloud, snorting.

"I guess we're going on vacation." Judy's face lit up at the idea of working a case while getting to enjoy a little bit of sunshine somewhere new.

Handing the evidence bag to the nearest CSI so they could take it back to their lab, Nick shook his head. "Sorry to burst your bubble Fluff, but it's not a holiday retreat."

Frowning, Judy scratched at her chin. "Then what is it?"

* * *

"A brothel?" Judy's jaw dropped as she stared at the small red door, tucked in a back alley in the Nocturnal District. How Nick had known where to find it wasn't something the doe wanted to delve in to. The only thing that gave the place away was the small price list taped to the inside of the blacked out window next to the door.

The fox couldn't keep the smirk off his lips at the look on Judy's face. "Most infamous one in town, Fluff. Apparently, many a famous mammal has been here to blow off some steam – a few previous mayors, some renowned surgeons, the list goes on." Nick headed for the door and rapped his paw against it several times in a distinct pattern.

It was only a few moments before a little peephole on the door was slid back, and Judy spotted a large yellow eye peering through. Nick muttered a few words to the yellow-eyed mammal, and the red door swung open.

"You coming?" Nick threw over his shoulder with a cocky smile, striding through the door.

Not wanting to be alone in the alley, Judy scurried after the tod. She stuck close to his side as the yellow-eyed mammal, which she now knew was a goat, led them down a flight of stairs to the basement. While Judy had expected the venue to be seedy, the room that greeted them as they took the final step down was not what she had been expecting. The room was huge, and though it stuck to the stereotypical red theme for such establishments, the furniture was comfortably modern with plush white sofas clustered around glass coffee tables. A long wooden bar ran the length of the far wall, and it appeared to be very well stocked. Elegant prints covered the walls, with the occasional soft erotic painting thrown in. Three doorways led from the main room, plush red velvet curtains covering them. It was from behind one of these curtains that a well-dressed red panda emerged.

"Nicholas Wilde the police officer, well I never." The red panda's voice was like honey, sweet and sticky to try and capture the attention of whatever mammal she was speaking to. It had clearly worked well for her over the years and had helped her cultivate her clientele.

The familiar voice warmed Nick's bones, and he turned to find Ruby. The daytime meant no customers, which allowed the panda to freely be herself. Dressed down in a pair of jeans and a blouse, she looked comfortable and a far cry from when they'd first met on the streets. "You're looking well, Ruby."

"Business keeps me busy at night, but affords me the luxury of sleeping and shopping in the day." Ruby offered her old friend a smile, crossing the room so the two could embrace. It was only as she pulled back from the hug that she spotted the small grey bunny by his side, large ears pricked up, violet eyes focused on her, and nose twitching. Out of respect, Ruby took a step back. It had taken her a short while in her profession, but she'd finally developed a knack for knowing when a mammal was spoken for. If her sixth sense failed her, Ruby had become adept at spotting where a ring should be, though it didn't take a genius to spot the pretty rock on the rabbit's finger and the way Nick's tail was curled near her feet. The confirmation that Nick had settled down, with a rabbit of all mammals, wasn't scandalous to Ruby, but it was pleasantly surprising. "Ruby Balliol. It's a pleasure to meet you." She offered the rabbit a paw and a soft smile.

Though the panda seemed as sweet as pie, Judy wasn't as naïve as most assumed. It took a certain kind of character to enter establishments like the one they were currently stood in, and it took a completely different character to run one. "Judy Hopps." The doe took the outstretched paw and gave it a firm shake, violet eyes finding the reddish-brown of the other female.

The tension in the room could've been cut with a knife, and Nick really didn't want Judy and Ruby to throw down with one another. Ruby was a scrapper thanks to the streets, but Judy knew the weak points on a mammal's body like the back of her paw. "How about a drink?" He gestured with a clawed thumb to the bar. It might've only been 11am, and they were on the clock, but it would break the tension and give them an opportunity to question her about the victim.

"The usual?" Ruby took her paw back from Judy, crossing the room to the bar. Even though she no longer worked behind it, she still had her mixing skills from when she'd initially started up. Being a one-mammal band had been tough work. "For you Judy?" She asked as she reached for the bottle of whiskey, adding a splash into a small glass for Nick.

Biting her lower lip to stop herself from yelling at Nick about breaking protocol, Judy made her decision based on the bottles she could see. "Elderflower wine, please." She hopped up on to a barstool, watching as Nick slid on to the one to her right just as his drink was passed across.

It only took a minute before Judy had her drink too, and Ruby had crafted herself some brightly colored cocktail. "How do you two know each other?" Judy took a sip of her wine. She tried not to wince at the flavor – it was nothing like the elderflower wine back in Bunnyburrow.

"It's not a pleasant tale, but Nicholas and I go way back." Ruby started, playing with the straw in her cocktail. She had half a mind to keep the story from the bunny, intrigued that Nick hadn't told it to her yet. "It was a difficult point in our lives, we were mooching one place to the next, doing whatever it took to survive. Nicholas was hustling, selling whatever he could get his paws on, and I was selling myself." Ruby paused to take a sip of her drink. She no longer felt ashamed talking about her past. Ruby had done what had been necessary to survive, and now she had a business of her own. She was able to bring mammals off the street, let them trade in a warm and comfortable environment, with the added bonus of regular medical checks.

Although the streets had been rough, and Nick had done many questionable things during his time to survive, he'd always tried to remain as true to himself as possible. That had included looking after females. They usually encountered the most trouble while sleeping rough, and although he was just a fox, Nick had tried to help as many as possible.

"One early morning, as I'd been walking back to where I was sleeping for the day, it had felt like I was being followed. I wasn't a fool, I'd been on the streets long enough to know the dangers, so I'd hurried my pace and crossed the road looking for a business I could enter and ask for help. Unfortunately, the dingo still followed and nowhere was open so early. It only took another two blocks before he caught up with me." The red panda shook her head as she took another sip of her drink. "He was vile, one of the worst mammals I've ever come across. Called me all sorts of names, made comments about how I was dressed and what I'd been doing, and then proceeded to think he could have a piece of me himself."

Nick's timing had been perfect that morning – another few minutes' and Ruby would've been in a much worse state. "I'd been heading to my usual hustling spot that morning when I stumbled across the situation. Didn't take much to figure out what was happening. I yanked a rusty bit of piping from a nearby building and pressed it against his back. I think he mistook it for a gun, which is insane as no gun I've ever seen has such a huge barrel, but it worked."

"He let go of me, paws in the air, begged Nicholas not to shoot and said it was just a misunderstanding before he ran off." Ruby couldn't believe that the pipe had worked either. "Nicholas introduced me to a group of mammal's he knew, and I felt much safer sleeping knowing someone was watching my back. I owe him big time." The red panda offered Nick a fond smile, eyes softening.

Judy blinked, in shock and awe at the whole situation. Nick had only told her snippets of his time on the streets; she knew there was a whole lot more, but each new story still surprised her. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." The doe offered sincerely, feeling compassion for her fellow female. Now it made sense. Ruby was so friendly with Nick because he'd saved her. Her spike of jealousy had been irrational, and Judy mentally cursed herself for it.

"Thank you. It was a long time ago, and what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, eh?" Ruby took a final sip of her cocktail, placing the dirty glass in the bar's dishwasher. "I take it you didn't come here for a catch up though, Nicholas?" She turned her attention to the fox, cocking an eyebrow.

Sighing, the tod placed down his empty glass. "Afraid not Ruby. We're working a case, and our victim was found with one of your business cards on him. Red fox, middle-aged, well-groomed and dressed, wearing a Roarex." He rattled off some basic information, ready to pull out a photo if needed, but the dawning realization on Ruby's face was more than enough.

"Oskar. His name is Oskar." The red panda shook her head in disbelief. "What happened to him? He's a regular and was here last night, had a session with Lucinda, a pretty little raccoon, and left satisfied in one piece."

Though he felt there was no real need, the tod still pulled out the photo of the victim, just to be doubly sure that Ruby was talking about the same mammal. The red panda only took a glimpse at the image before she turned her gaze away, staring at the wall. "That's Oskar." She confirmed solemnly.

"He was found stabbed this morning in the Marshlands. Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt him?" Judy softened her tone, remembering her training and how much easier it was to get information out of upset mammals by soothing them.

Ruby knew how vital the information would be, so she took a moment to think. "I can't think of any mammal in particular, but a lot of mammals were jealous of Oskar and his success."

"His success?" Nick pushed.

Nodding, Ruby hummed her affirmation. "He was some high-flyer, hence the Roarex. I remember the first time he came here; he looked nervous and out of place, used his real name of Oskar Reddish when most pick an alias to keep this on the hush."

The more information they had about the victim, the better their checks would be back at the precinct. "You don't happen to have a credit card receipt or his signature or something on file, do you?" Judy quizzed. Being able to access Oskar's financial data would allow them to paint a picture of where he liked to shop and what his job might've been, and they could work backward from that.

Ruby had to stop herself from cooing. The innocence of the rabbit sat opposite her was adorable. "All my customer's pay cash and I don't ask questions, so I'm afraid there's nothing on file about Oskar or any other clients." Although it was not usual business practice, for the type of establishment Ruby ran it was necessary. Mammals came to her place to scratch the itch in private and then go home to their partners. Secrecy was key to her businesses survival. "I do have CCTV of this main area though if that would be of any benefit?" Ruby offered. While secrecy was paramount, she also had to protect the mammals working for her. The rooms were out of camera sight, but by monitoring the common area, she could keep an eye on the comings and goings of the place.

Dipping her head in embarrassment, Judy mentally kicked herself. She should've guessed records weren't the highest priority here.

"CCTV would be great, thanks." Nick took the reins, giving Ruby a smile as the red panda slipped from behind the bar and crossed the room, heading to her office. Even though Ruby had told them Oskar had left in one piece, the tapes would reveal if anyone followed him out or was watching him. Once Ruby was out of sight and earshot, Nick turned to his partner. "We have a name and a positive ID match now. We can run him through the databases when we get back. There were no camera's in the alley, I checked on our way in, so while we might be able to spot a mammal keeping an eye on Oskar or following him out, we have nothing to go on from there." Nick grimaced, scratching at his chin.

"Here you go, tapes from last night." Ruby emerged from her office, three tapes in paw. She handed them over to Nick. "Will you keep me updated on the case, please? If the mammal that killed Oskar was here, I need to know. I don't want them around here, and I don't need my clients knowing if they were."

As much as Judy wanted to promise Ruby they'd tell her everything, protocol dictated that they couldn't. "We'll let you know whatever we can." The doe assured the panda, offering her a small smile. They wouldn't be able to share sensitive information with her, or information that wasn't available to the public through the media, but Judy couldn't bring herself to explain that and disappoint her after all they'd done for her.

"Thank you. Stop by whenever you feel like it, the bar's always open." Ruby offered as Nick and Judy slid from their seats, heading for the exit. The three mammals said their goodbye's before Nick and Judy stepped back out into the alleyway, the door shutting behind them.

"Street cameras." Nick broke the silence, jutting his chin towards the road. "We can see what goes on inside the building on the tapes, and although this alley isn't covered by cameras, we'll be able to track Oskar once he enters the street." The fox remembered how instrumental the cameras had been in the missing mammal's case, and hopefully, they would be just as handy this time.

A small smile crossed Judy's lips as she shook her head fondly, heading for the driver's seat of their vehicle. "Slick Nick." She teased as she hopped into the car, Nick taking the passenger seat. Judy started the engine, and they buckled in, leaving the alleyway and Ruby Red's Relaxation Resort behind them.

* * *

"Please tell me we're nearly finished." Nick grouched. The two mammals were slumped at their desks, one of the tapes from Ruby's bar playing on a small TV they'd been able to borrow from the skunks down in the records department.

"We're only three-quarters of the way through the first tape, Slick." Judy chided, reaching to grab some chips from the packet Nick had procured from one of the vending machines in the canteen.

Smacking his forehead on the desk, Nick groaned. So far the tapes had provided them nothing – there was no sign of Oskar, but they had to watch for anything suspicious. "Don't eat all the chips," Nick mumbled into the wood of the table, lifting his head a moment later to watch Judy happily munching away while watching the screen. "Something interesting?"

Wrinkling her nose, Judy shook her head. "Not yet. I'm just surprised at how busy Ruby's place is. I guess I never realized how high the demand is for businesses like hers."

"Some mammal's like the anonymity it offers, others want to blow off steam but can't be bothered to work on chatting someone up at a bar where a fun night isn't always guaranteed, and others just want the company of another mammal and some physical contact for a few hours." During his years on the streets, Nick had spent plenty of time around mammal's that worked in such establishments, and at first, it had surprised him to learn of all the varied reasons clients visited.

Turning her focus from the TV to her mate, Judy tipped her head, her large ears flopping. "Have you ever been to a place like Ruby's?" She asked curiously, careful to ensure there was no judgment in her tone just in case.

The tod had to stop himself from smiling at Judy's question. Trust his rabbit to try and be as non-judgemental as possible. "Been to them? Yes. I helped Ruby set up when she finally had enough investment, and I was friends with several mammals' who worked in such places, and I would sometimes collect them after their shifts to walk them home. Have I purchased the services on offer? No. Never had the desire or the spare cash." He let out a humorless laugh.

Content with Nick's answer, Judy turned her focus back to the TV. It wouldn't have bothered her if he had spent his cash on a pretty mammal, as it would've been before they met and decided to be together. The streets had been lonely for him so she wouldn't have blamed him. "How about we flip to the second tape." Judy reached for the remote, ending the first tape before she swapped it for the second.

The tape had only been running for fifteen minutes when Nick spotted Oskar entering the central area from outside, and the tod was laughing at something the doormammal had said. _"Now it gets interesting."_ The fox sat up straight, paw reaching for the remaining chips as Judy grabbed her notepad and pen, ready to jot down anything they saw and the tape timestamps for the report they would inevitably have to write up.

As the tape went on, the action playing out on the screen matched Ruby's description of the night to the letter. The fox had disappeared off with a slinky raccoon, Lucinda they both guessed, and an hour later he'd emerged back in the central area, a satisfied smile on his face. He'd planted a kiss on Lucinda's cheek, slipped her some cash, and then left. Nick and Judy watched the next thirty minutes of the tape but no one followed him out.

"I guess his killer wasn't at Ruby's then." Judy groaned, throwing her notepad and pen down on her desk. Their next option was the street cameras, but at least they now had a timestamp for when he left Ruby's. Judy didn't want to spend the next few days watching hours and hours of street footage. A knock had Judy and Nick turning their heads towards the doorway.

"I ran our victims name through the databases, and I'm eternally grateful that he gave his real name to your friend." Wolford offered both doe and tod a grin. He'd finally given up his undercover job so that he would be able to spend more time with his wife and not live in fear of someone finding out his true identity. It had been good for him and his missus, and they were now expecting their first pup. "Got a home address for him and it's not too far from here. Made a few calls and got a search warrant for you too." Wolford offered out two bits of paper.

Scrambling from her desk, Judy grabbed the papers on offer, bringing them close so she could read them. Oskar hadn't lived in a particularly affluent area, which was odd considering his watch choice and Ruby's high-flyer comment.

Standing, Nick paused the security tape as he stretched. "Guess it's time for a house visit eh, Fluff?"


	2. The Plot Thickens

**Hi all,**

 **First off I want to apologize for the delay in updating this story, that wasn't my intent when I started it. Unfortunately, real life came and bit me on the ass.**

 **I want to spend a moment addressing it here so you don't think I've abandoned this story or no longer care about you all.**

 **I was struggling with my mental health a bit at the back end of last year and it was wearing me down. Thankfully, I've been using some self-help techniques and receiving a boatload of love from my other half, so that seems to have died down and I'm back in a good place in that sense. Unfortunately, even though mentally I'm better, my physical health hasn't been great. I suffered a concussion last year and over the last few months my brain has decided to play up and generally give me a bad time - I can't filter background noise, I have near daily headaches/migraines, and I can't focus on anything for more than a few hours without wanting to cry from the throbbing pain in my head. Doctor's are still trying to get to the bottom of it, which is fun...**

 **My headaches have eased a little over the past week or two, so I've started dipping my toes back into writing, but I don't want to push myself too hard and go backward again. I was able to finish this chapter though, which is something!**

 **I'm taking things easy, so all I ask is that you please be patient with me.**

 **I still love you guys, and I haven't given up on this!**

 **~ Ophelia x**

* * *

"I'm driving this time." Nick snatched the keys from Judy's desk, using her distraction to his advantage. The doe was still engrossed in the paperwork from Wolford.

Sighing as she peered over the papers, Judy stared at her partner. "It's a good job I've taken out life insurance then." She quipped, enjoying the way Nick scowled at her.

"I'm not that bad." He muttered, twirling the keys around a clawed finger as his features softened before he was heading out of their little office.

Locking up their belongings, something Nick always forgot to do, Judy hurried after him, following him down to the parking lot and to their vehicle.

"Where are we heading?" Nick asked as he took the driver's seat, waiting for Judy to hop up into the passenger spot and buckle herself in.

Once seated and buckled in, Judy flipped to the page with the address on, scanning the document. "Apartment 6, 4387 Plow Street" She read out as Nick started the engine and pulled out of the precinct parking lot.

"That's on the cusp between Sahara Square and Tundratown. Why the hell would our vic live there?" The fox mused. Nick's hustling days had seen him explore all areas of the city, and he'd spent many a day on the metro system, dodging the transport officers checking tickets. Plow Street wasn't particularly affluent, and given its location, it was an odd choice of home for a fox. The mixture between the heat and the cold would confuse their bodies, and their fur wouldn't be sure whether to stay fluffy or remain sleek.

Judy pocketed the search warrant in case they came across anyone in the property, and she filed the rest of the documents in the glove compartment. "Maybe it was cheap rent? That might explain why he had so much disposable income to be able to afford his watch and to visit Ruby's." The reason felt flimsy even as she aired it, but it was still an angle to consider.

"Perhaps." Nick agreed absentmindedly as he made a right turn, taking them ever closer to the address. It was still gnawing away at him that a few years ago, it could've been him on the Medical Examiner's table. Since becoming a cop, a lot of his old contacts had kept their distance, but Nick never allowed himself to believe he was safe. There would always be a few who would be convinced he'd rat them out.

Turning her head to look at her mate, Judy wondered whether they were the best pair for the case. The doe wasn't blind; she could see that Nick was affected. What were the chances that their first case would be the murder of a fox? "He could've inherited the home?" She threw out another possibility, trying to fill the silence. Wolford hadn't included any information about the property. With that in mind, Judy pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a quick text to her former partner, asking him to do a bit more digging. If Oskar had inherited the home, then it answered her question, but if someone else owned it, then they would have to track down the landmammal and ask him or her some questions.

"What house number did you say it was again?" Nick queried as he turned onto Plow Street, slowing the vehicle to a crawl while also ensuring the doors were locked. The street was deserted and lined either side by townhouses. They were crumbling with age and lack of love, while the road was littered with household debris, occasionally caught in the wheels of the few old cars parked up. While the street was a mess, Nick knew the area well enough to know all the residents had one another's backs, and that they'd created their own little community. Their police vehicle wouldn't go unnoticed, which he feared could make it more difficult for them to get mammals to talk.

"4387," Judy repeated the house number, observing her surroundings. She watched the numbers on the doors go up as they drove down the street, and she was fortunate that on her side of the road were the odd-numbered houses. "It's a few doors down on my side." She commented as they passed house number 4381.

Pulling the car to the side of the road, Nick killed the engine. "You armed?" He asked, checking his belt. They were only permitted to carry non-lethal weapons, but he knew the taser he had on him could pack enough of a punch to take down a moose if appropriately calibrated.

Checking her own belt, Judy nodded. She had her taser and pepper spray, though she prayed she wouldn't have to use them. Judy had become an officer to protect mammals, not hurt them, but she knew that in some situations it was justified for her to defend herself. "Apartment 6." She reminded Nick as they left the safety of their vehicle.

The wind howled down the narrow street, carrying with it the icy bite of Tundratown, and Nick pulled his jacket tighter around him. He'd never enjoyed the cold. Taking the lead, he headed towards the house. The main door was ajar so with a hind paw he carefully pushed it open. The lack of lighting in the dark corridor was easy for him to adjust to, and when he neither saw nor smelt a threat, he led the way up the stairs.

Sticking close to Nick's six, Judy's large ears were turned behind them, to pick up on any mammals that might try to sneak up on them. The more they climbed the stairs, the lighter the building became. There were two apartments per floor, and the large picture windows on the landing of each level afforded them greater visibility. On the third floor, they found apartment six.

"ZPD, is anyone home?" Nick rapped his knuckles on the wooden door to the apartment. They weren't expecting anyone to answer, but they waited a few minutes just to be sure. "I don't think anyone's in," Nick grumbled, reaching for his belt. Though it would've been much more impressive to try and kick the door down, the fox didn't want to have to deal with the paperwork that would arise from the need to then secure the apartment. Instead, he pulled his lockpick from his belt, and after a few minutes of working at the lock, the door swung open.

Judy's first peek at the room made her frown. "I wasn't expecting this." She muttered as the two stepped into the room, taser's drawn and large ears flicking to pick up any noise. Shutting the front door behind them to not garner any more attention, they decided to divide and conquer, doing a quick sweep of the small apartment. "All clear," Judy reported as she entered the main living space.

"All clear on my side too." Nick pocketed his taser, now able to fully take in the space. Given the rundown exterior of the street and the building, he was impressed with how beautiful the inside of the apartment was. "He took a lot of pride in this place." He commented, one ear flicking to Judy as he heard her cellphone beep.

Reading her new message, Judy turned it so Nick could see the screen. "Makes sense considering he owns it." She slid the phone back into her pocket once Nick was done. "How does a quick sweep of the place sound?"

"My little bunny doesn't want a thorough search?" Nick quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

Shaking her head, Judy pulled on the latex gloves she kept on her belt. There could be useful evidence lying around. "Is it bad if I say this place gives me the creeps?"

Chuckling, Nick pulled on his own gloves. "Not at all Fluff. You've got a big bad fox to protect you though." He teased as he headed for the kitchen. Opening one of the cupboards he was surprised to find everything stacked neatly inside, and there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt in sight.

Judy didn't even bother responding to her mate's teasing. While it was true that she felt infinitely safer with a predator for a partner, and with said partner being her mate too, she knew there were plenty of critters out there much bigger than them. Leaving Nick to the kitchen, Judy went for the bedroom. Usually the most personal of spaces held the most information.

The room was similar in style to the living room, with cream walls and soft furnishings. If it weren't for the fact that when Judy looked out the window she could see the neighboring homes crumbling, she would've believed herself to be in a luxury apartment downtown. Rummaging through the wardrobes and drawers, Judy found nothing that could be considered evidence or a lead, but she did see plenty of branded clothing. Just as she was about to turn her attention to the bed and the space beneath it, she heard a mechanical sound.

"Carrots, I think I got something," Nick called from the kitchen. He'd been going through each cupboard quickly, assuming he wouldn't find anything, but when he'd gone to open what he'd thought was the inbuilt fridge, he'd instead been met with a narrow corridor. Reaching for his taser, he heard Judy scuttling into the room, stopping beside him.

"What the hell is that?" She whispered, struggling to see in the darkened space.

Spotting a switch on the side of the wall, Nick flicked it, and with a buzzing noise a bright light bulb in the corridor ceiling switched on, illuminating their path. "I think it's a secret tunnel. This case just got so much cooler." Nick grinned, taking the first step into the room.

"Shouldn't we call for back up? We don't know what's in there!" Judy whisper-shouted, grabbing the back of Nick's jacket.

Stopping his exploration, Nick turned to look at his partner. "Use those big ears of yours, can you hear anything?"

Tuning in to their surroundings, Judy listened for a moment before she shook her head.

"Then I'm going in, will you watch my six please?" Nick asked, lifting his taser once again.

Giving a sharp nod, Judy stayed behind Nick as they slowly made their way down the narrow corridor. Her large ears were twisting and turning, trying to pick up on any little sound, but it was silent other than for the noise of their pawsteps against the concrete floor. The corridor didn't go on for very long before it opened up into a small, dark room.

"What can you see?" Judy whispered to her mate, still not detecting any noise.

Nick took a glance around the room. "There's a desk, some filing cabinets, and something on the wall." He answered, before making a small noise of triumph as he again found a light switch. Turning it on, he winced at the sudden stream of brightness, screwing his eyes closed.

"Urm, Slick?" Judy stood in both awe and shock at what she saw in the room. "You might want to see this." She took a step closer to one of the walls. A massive map of Zootopia had been taped to it, and from it were lines of red string leading to photos of mammals, along with newspaper clippings and reports on their deaths.

Cracking his eyes open, Nick let them adjust for a moment before he turned towards Judy. "Well if that isn't suspicious I don't know what is." He commented, taking a step closer to inspect the information Judy was looking at.

"I don't think Oskar was a serial killer, he didn't strike me as one." Judy bit her lower lip as she scan-read the newspaper clippings.

"Met many serial killers then?" Nick shook his head. It was a theory he was still willing to consider. From what little he was reading about the mammals on the wall, there didn't seem to be anything connecting them. They'd all been killed in different parts of the city, and the reported murder weapons were all different. "Nothing is connecting them."

Leaving Nick to ponder the map, Judy turned her focus to the desk. There were sheets of blank paper all over it, but nothing screamed out to her. Feeling along the front of the desk, Judy found two drawers. The top contained typical stationery – pens, more paper, some pencils, tape, and an eraser. However, the bottom drawer was stuffed with a manila folder. "Might be something." She lifted the folder out of the drawer and set it down on the desk. Flipping it open, she found a stack of letters, all with headed paper. "P.R.E.D - Predators Regroup to Eradicate Discrimination" She read the letter heading aloud.

"Pred rights group." Nick abandoned his visual search of the information on the wall, coming to stand next to Judy and examine the folder and its contents with her.

Judy could've planted her face right on the desk. "Predators." She turned to look back at the wall "They're all predators." She made the connection. "He could've been investigating their deaths and stumbled across something." Taking her phone from her pocket, Judy snapped a photo of the wall as a whole, before she went to each mammal identified and photographed their newspaper clippings and portraits. They couldn't take everything back to the precinct with them now, they didn't have enough evidence bags in the car, but the photos could get them started.

"The letters are talking about the increasing surge in predator deaths, and how none of the cases are properly looked at." Nick flicked through the rest of the letters. Some of them were dated before he was born. "It could've been a hate crime." Nick hated the very idea, but it was a possibility.

Returning to Nick's side, Judy snapped a few photos of the letters. "It could've. We won't know though until we can get back to the precinct and recreate this map, and start joining up the dots." She pocketed her phone, placing a paw on Nick's arm as he returned the manila folder to the desk drawer. They weren't expecting anyone to return to the apartment, but it never hurt to leave things as they'd been found, just in case.

Making their way out of the small room and back into the kitchen, Judy stayed behind Nick and flicked off the lights as they went until they emerged into the bright kitchen.

"I don't think there's much else here. We should call this in and get someone to secure this place and properly remove the documents." Nick shut the faux fridge door as Judy pulled out her phone once again, making a quick call to Wolford to relay the information.

Together they left the apartment, and the deadlock clicked as they shut the door. If anyone returned, then they would be none the wiser. As Nick and Judy crossed the landing, back to the stairs, Judy froze. Her large ears swiveled to the door to apartment five. She could hear a heartbeat on the other side of the door, very close to them. Pointing at the door, Judy withdrew her notepad and pen from her belt. _A neighbor at the door, we should ask them questions._ She scribbled down for Nick.

Reluctantly, the tod nodded, and the pair moved to the other apartment. "ZPD, can we ask you a few questions please?" He asked loudly, knocking on the door.

There was a moment of silence before a soft voice came from the inside of the apartment. "Hold your badge up to the peephole, please."

The request wasn't ridiculous, Judy had heard stories of mammal's wanting to examine their credentials before speaking. With the peephole being too high up for her, even with her arm stretched, she let Nick flash his badge.

Nick only had his arm up for a few moments before the clicking of locks could be heard. Pocketing his badge, a pair of green eyes peered out from around the door.

"How can I help, officers?" The binturong asked, looking between the rabbit and the fox.

"I'm Officer Wilde, this is Officer Hopps. We're wondering if we could ask you some questions about your neighbor, Oskar Reddish." Nick introduced them before he gestured to Judy, letting her take the lead with questioning. The binturong looked skittish, and Judy had always had a way of calming mammals.

"What's your name?" Judy started easy.

Talking to the cops wasn't recommend within the community, but the binturong's curiosity had been piqued at the mention of her neighbor. "Chantou Yeung." She introduced herself, remaining behind the door.

"It's nice to meet you Chantou. Can you remember when you last saw Mr. Reddish?" Judy was still holding her notepad and pen, prepared to scribble down the neighbors answers.

Thinking for a moment, Chantou nodded. "Three days ago. I heard him whistling as he came up the stairs, so I opened the door to say hello. What's going on, is he missing?" The thought of sweet Oskar going missing was upsetting for Chantou. He was a kind neighbor and always offered to kitsit her son when she had to work late.

Looking to her partner for support, Judy bit her lower lip.

Swallowing, Nick offered Chantou a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Reddish has passed away."

"He's dead?" Chantou let go of the door to bring her paws to cover her mouth, and she could feel tears starting to well in her eyes. "What happened?"

"That's what we're trying to establish, Chantou. Anything you can tell us could help us." Judy stepped back in, moving her hind paw closest to Nick so that they touched. Delivering sad news to civilians wasn't fun, and she would have to thank him later for it.

Thinking back to when she'd last seen him, Chantou couldn't remember anything suspicious. Paws dropping from her mouth, she shook her head. "He seemed fine when I last saw him. He looked in good health and didn't seem to be worried about anything. When I opened my door to say hello he handed me a big bag of vegetables from his allotment. He grows so much food, and with him living alone, it would go to waste otherwise. His kindness has meant my son hasn't had to go hungry." Chantou's lower lip wobbled. "He told me that his work was going well, asked how my son and I were doing, and then we made plans to take my kit to the park at the weekend. Oskar would always push him on the swings."

Scribbling down notes, Judy couldn't remember Wolford mentioning anything about the allotment. "This allotment, do you happen to know where it is?" She asked gently.

"Yeah, it's at Rainbow Falls. Oskar said it had the best soil for growing beans in the whole city." Chantou had to agree with her late neighbor, the beans he'd grown were terrific.

Jotting down the location, Judy was satisfied. "Thank you, Chantou. If you think of anything else, please give the ZPD a call. We're so sorry for your loss." The doe reached out a paw to place on Chantou's right wrist, offering her a soft smile as she saw the first few tears slip down her cheek.

Though she was sure she wouldn't call, for again talking to the cops wasn't recommend, the binturong still nodded. "T-thank you." She stammered, using her free paw to wipe at her face.

With nothing left to say, Judy released Chantou's wrist and made for the stairs, hearing Nick follow after her and the click of the apartment door. The duo was silent as they returned to the car. Once back inside the safety of their vehicle Judy produced her phone and started to type.

"You've already asked Wolford to swing by with a team and grab the documents and map." Nick frowned at his partner's furious typing.

"I know. I'm getting a warrant for the allotment, and searching for a food bank in the area." Judy clicked through a few webpages and found an address for the food bank. Copying it, she sent Wolford a message asking for the warrant and for him to push a note under the door of apartment five with the food bank address on. "I don't want Chantou or her kit to go hungry when there's help out there." Satisfied, she pocketed her phone and turned her focus to her notes.

Nick's shoulders dropped, and a soft smile crossed his lips. He couldn't believe the amount of kindness his mate was capable of. It would've never crossed his mind to do such a thing for a stranger. "How did I get so lucky, Fluff?"

Pulled from her notes, Judy turned her head to her mate, tipping it sideways with curiosity. "I'm not following."

"To fall in love with such a sweet bunny." Nick knew it was corny and wanted to immediately regret saying it aloud, but at the same time, it felt good to remind his mate about how amazing she was.

Leaning across the center console, Judy planted a firm kiss on her fox's muzzle. "Says the handsome fox." She gave his cheek a quick stroke before sitting back in her seat. "Now then Slick, I think we should check out the allotment."

* * *

Rainbow Falls was located at the edge of the Meadowlands, bordering Tundratown. It would've been a strange place for an allotment if it weren't for the climate wall nearby. The amount of power needed to keep Tundratown cool meant plenty of engines running 24/7, and these engines kicked back some heat. It made the Meadowlands side of the border sit comfortably between 64°F and 76°F. Growing vegetables there was a piece of cake.

"No stealing any carrots while we're here, Fluff." Nick teased as he turned their car into the allotment parking area, pulling into a vacant spot. There were only a few other vehicles parked up, and Nick took comfort in the fact there would be few mammals around who might see what they were up to. With the victim having been a fox, and the possibility of it being a hate crime, the tod was on high alert.

Rolling her eyes as the car came to a stop, Judy unplugged her seatbelt. "So long as you stay away from any blueberries." She fired back as she exited the car, hearing Nick do the same and their doors closing together.

"You know I only like your family blueberries." The fox squinted in the afternoon sun. Opening the car door again he rummaged in the side compartment until he found his sunglasses, sliding them on his snout as he closed the door again, this time locking the vehicle.

Looking out over the array of allotments, Judy pursed her lips. "We didn't ask Chantou which one was Oskar's." She pointed out, noting the allotments that had mammal's working away at them. They could eliminate those, but it still left around twenty for them to decide from.

Rounding the car to join his mate, Nick stood beside her to observe the gardens. It reminded him of Bunnyburrow and all of the fields of crops. He missed it. "I don't think Chantou would've known, Fluff." Nick scratched at his ear as his tail flicked, the tip curling around Judy's ankles.

Smiling to herself at the feel of her fox's tail around her, Judy came up with a plan. "We could ask the mammal's here, see if any of them have seen him around and can point us in the direction?" She suggested.

Not liking the idea, the fox shook his head. "That'd alert them to our presence." He pointed out.

Frowning, Judy turned her head to look at her mate. It wasn't like him to not want to ask around and network. "We arrived in a police car, Nick." She paused. "Are you worried?" She reached out to place a paw on Nick's arm, feeling his tail around her ankles tighten.

"A fox was murdered, Judy. We can't rule out a hate crime yet. I'm a fox working this case. What if the murderer finds that out and comes after me, or even worse comes after you because we're partners?" Nick voiced his fear, turning his head to meet his mate's gaze.

Judy's brow furrowed. "That's not going to happen, Nick. I don't think the murderer is going to go after cops. They'd be an extraordinary brand of stupid if they did." Judy tried to reassure her fox. She didn't think it would come to that, but if the worst did happen, then she would protect her fox with all of her might.

"Mhm." Nick hummed, not entirely believing his mate but appreciating her assurance anyway. "Asking around is probably the quickest way to deal with this, and I have a feeling time is of the essence if we want to get back to the precinct and look over all the stuff from Oskar's secret room." Nick decided, unfurling his tail from Judy's ankles.

Giving Nick's arm a gentle squeeze, Judy let her paw fall. "Agreed. Let's start with the Eurasian badger." The doe tipped her head in the direction of a middle-aged badger tending to some lettuces, dressed in a pink blouse and a tattered straw hat. The rabbit's phone pinged in her pocket, and she pulled it out, grinning at the screen. "Warrant's been issued. We're good to go."

Letting Judy lead the way, Nick kept close to her six, ears listening to their surrounding as he kept his eyes on the badger. The sound of their approaching footsteps caught the badger's attention, and she looked up from her lettuces.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm Officer Hopps, and this is my partner Officer Wilde. We're working a case concerning a mammal that owned an allotment here. Do you know which of these garden's belongs to Mr. Reddish?" Judy adopted a softer tone, the one she reserved for prying information out of unsuspecting citizens.

Standing up, Maya abandoned her lettuces, giving the two cops stood in her garden her full attention. Unfortunately, she had no idea about the mammal they were asking for information about. Though she spent several days a week tending to her little patch of land, she didn't bother to socialize very much with the other mammals. Her garden was her tranquil space, somewhere to get away from others and the hustle of the city. "I'm sorry Officer's, I don't know a Mr. Reddish." Casting her gaze around the allotment, she raised a paw to point at a deer a few gardens over. "Emmie knows a lot of the mammal's who have garden's here, she might be able to help you." Maya offered.

Clocking the deer in his peripheral vision, Nick offered the badger a smile. "Thank you, ma'am. Sorry to have troubled you, enjoy the rest of your day." He led the way out of Maya's patch and towards the deer, Judy by his side.

"Excuse me, Emmie?" Nick spoke as they reached the fence of the doe's garden, causing the other mammal to lift her head from the patch of potatoes she'd been weeding. "I'm Officer Wilde, and this is my partner, Officer Hopps. We were wondering if you could point us in the direction of Mr. Reddish's garden, please?" He asked, adopting Judy's strategy and using a gentle tone.

Curious about the police visiting the allotment, Emmie had to bite her tongue. What were they doing? Was Oskar into some sketchy business? "Of course Officers," Emmie responded, standing tall. "His patch is five gardens over." She gestured along the line with a hoof. "Is Oskar in trouble?"

"We're just looking into a few things, making sure that's not the case," Judy responded tactically. Something in her gut told her that Emmie didn't know all the mammals who had gardens because she enjoyed their company. She'd met her fair share of gossips during high school, and now it was easy to spot them. "Thank you for the information, you have a nice day now." Judy excused them, keeping a leisurely pace as she approached Oskar's garden with Nick. Any indication of haste would only pique Emmie's interest further.

"This is it?" Nick muttered as they stopped in front of the garden. It was small, but well kept, and there was a wide variety of fruit and vegetables growing in the flowerbeds. They'd been weeded recently, but the soil was dry due to Oskar's untimely death. There was a small wooden shed to one side of the garden, the tin roof a little rickety, and a giant padlock keeping the door securely shut.

Stepping into the garden, Judy saw nothing of interest in the flowerbeds. Instead, she made a beeline for the shed. "What did you think his allotment would look like?" She asked as she checked the lock. It was rust-free even though it was exposed to the elements. "New lock." She pointed out as Nick came to stand behind her.

"A free supermarket." The fox responded dryly. "I got this." He nudged his partner out of the way. Picking locks was his specialty.

It only took a few moments before Nick and Judy were able to enter the shed, and both mammals were disappointed at what they found. "A whole lot of nothing." Nick sighed. There was a wooden workbench at one end of the shed, with a multitude of gardening tools scattered on it and a corkboard above it. At the opposite end of the shed was a counter and small sink, presumably for washing off fruit and veg and packing it up. A spade and hoe sat propped next to the door, and an exposed lightbulb hung from the ceiling. "Guess we'll have to go back over the stuff from his apartment." Nick's brow furrowed as he stared at the floor.

"Nick," Judy called her mate, wanting him to join her at the end of the shed with the workbench.

The tod started to stomp on the floor, listening for a change of sound. "Surely he has a hidden trapdoor in here. If he can hide that room in his apartment, he can hide something here."

"Nick," Judy called a little louder this time, thumping her hind paw.

Caught out by the sharpness of Judy's tone, Nick gave up his hope of finding a trapdoor and joined his mate at the end of the shed. "What's up?" He asked.

Lifting a paw, Judy pointed to the corkboard above the workbench. Documents with planting information for various fruit and vegetables were pinned to it, but amongst the info was a photograph. It was a group shot, in black and white, at what looked to be a large gathering of mammals outside City Hall. "Is that…?"

Nick's jaw went slack. "Mom?"


End file.
